Jamaica

After a seven-year debate involving representatives of the government, media, and civil society, Jamaica has now become the first independent Caribbean country to have no criminal defamation laws — including seditious libel — on the books.

Jamaica Highlights
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Dwayne Jones, 16, was found dead on July 22 after being attacked at a party he attended dressed in women’s clothing. According to news reports, when someone at the party identified Jones as male, a crowd chased him as he fled. Police found his body on the road, with multiple stab wounds and a gun wound.

Currently, all 16 independent countries in the Caribbean maintain some form of criminal defamation law, including seditious libel or desacato. Should the Defamation Bill 2013 pass the House of Representatives, Jamaica would become the first country in the Caribbean to have no such laws on the books.

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